Developed and published by Activision, Over the Hedge is an action-platformer title based on the Dreamworks animated feature by the same name. Typically games that are based on movie licenses are quick cash-in opportunities that aim to capitalize on a film’s success, but once in a while an exception is found. So how does Over the Hedge measure up against the trend? Read on to find out.

Facts and Features

Based on the Dreamworks film by the same name

Cutscenes from the movie help narrate the story

2-player simultaneous play

Tons of unlockable content

Support for progressive scan and Dolby Pro Logic II

Over the Hedge is presented in typical movie game license fashion. As you progress through the game several scenes from the movie are used to advance the plot and act as a sort of reward for getting through mission objectives. The video is compressed, but it’s not terrible. For younger gamers that are fans of the movie, they’ll definitely enjoy seeing some of their favorite parts of the movie integrated into the game.

The gameplay in Over the Hedge is really simple, but it’s executed fairly well. For the majority of the time you’ll be tapping a single button to attack, but you’ll occasionally be forced to jump. The game really encourages you to smash anything and everything you come across. Throughout the entire game, you'll be paired with an AI teammate (or a 2nd player if you have a friend around). This teammate will help in combat, but they can also be used in getting around the levels. One example of where the other player is useful is that you can combine together to form a sort of special attack. These attacks seem to draw their inspiration from the classic Simpsons arcade game. They aren't completely necessary, but they're fun to execute with a buddy.

Occasionally you’ll have to slow down and deal with a puzzle or two, but they are too few and far between. The nice part about these puzzles is that you are encouraged to use more abilities than the basic attack or jump. While it would have been nice to see more of these elements in the game, it’s understandable that a game like Over the Hedge needs to be kept simple in order to keep from frustrating younger gamers.

With a good amount of destructible environmental elements, you can spend a fair amount of time just seeing what else there is to break. The destruction isn’t totally pointless in Over the Hedge either; hidden throughout levels are minor power-ups and items that unlock bonus content. There isn’t much to the gameplay besides mashing away at your attack button and destroying everything in sight; so while the action is repetitive, it is well-suited to its younger target audience. Gamers looking for any sort of depth or any sort of intricate combat system would be best to search elsewhere.

One great feature that is included is the ability to have a second player jump into the action at any time. Reminiscent of the days when you could approach an arcade button masher and join a friend, Over the Hedge is perfect for a couple of younger gamers or for an adult playing with a child. This sort of feature should be highly appreciated by parents that choose to play games along with their kids.

The graphics found in Over the Hedge range from impressive to dull and bland. The character animations are way better than one would expect from a licensed game, especially one based on an animated feature. In fact, the animation in Over the Hedge rivals what is found in higher budget games. Some of the environments, textures, and models are not quite up to par, however; especially given the amount of work that went into animating the character movements. I wouldn’t go as far to say that anything is truly ugly, but a lot of what there is to see looks overly simple even for a licensed game. The camera often times gets in the way of the gameplay flow, but after adjusting to its quirks many hang-ups can be avoided.

One of the most disappointing aspects of the game is the way the audio has been implemented. The voices in the game are way too quiet and are most often drowned out by either the music or sound effects. Half way through the game I just accepted that I’d be missing out on most of the spoken dialogue; thankfully you can figure out easy enough what to do without ever really hearing them (smash smash smash). It was bad enough that I thought that someone had messed with my home theatre audio settings, but it was a game issue. There are some audio balance sliders, but they still don’t seem adequate to get things at an acceptable level.

Final Word
Over the Hedge is another in a long line of licensed titles that have released alongside a movie by the same name. There are some moments where it’s evident that Activision put some real effort into Over the Hedge, but it still feels under-polished on several fronts. Younger gamers and parents should be able to get a fair amount of enjoyment out of the game with their kids, but it’s not really meant for a wide audience. Over the Hedge isn’t great, but it’s definitely a step in the right direction when it comes to dealing with a children’s movie license.